Haciendo que la frontera sur sea americana, y México también.: Una lectura de Chatfield’s Twin Cities of the Border

Historical documents call attention not only because of the facts reported, but also because of the views held by the reporter concerning the matters referred. This essay aims at identifying W. H. Chatfield’s views of America, Mexico, and their shared border, as they appear in his 1893 pamphlet The Twin Cities, Brownsville, Texas, Matamoros, Mexico, of the Border, and the Country of the Lower Rio Grande: that the Texan region bordering with Mexico then was fully Americanized, moreover, that the Mexican side of the border was undergoing a process of Americanization very needed for business, process which from that region would extend to all the Americas, process very convenient for American capitalists. The identification of those views is done, here, by highlighting them through a reading of the text itself, their judging being mostly left to the people reviewing what the author of this essay has stressed.

The Massacre at Gracias a Dios: Mobility and Violence on the Lower Rio Grande, 1821–1856

On March 20, 1856, Mexican forces massacred a band of Lipan Apaches at a river crossing known as Gracias a Dios. Historians have described the massacre as an example of the growing violence against Native peoples in Mexico, motivated by a desire to control movement across the U.S.-Mexico border. But given the long history of border crossings in the region, why did Mexican forces massacre the Lipan Apaches in 1856, rather than at some earlier point? The Lipan Apaches had long used the border to their advantage, forging alliances with Mexico in 1822, with the Republic of Texas in 1838, and again with Mexico in 1853. These alliances show that the Lipans were important to the history of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands not only because their raids wrought devastation, but also because they were geopolitical actors in their own right. To understand why Mexican forces turned on their Native allies, we must examine how the policies of neighboring nations interacted with—and shaped—one another. Convinced that Mexico’s Native allies were raiding their ranches with impunity, Texans decided to launch an expedition against the Lipans in Mexico in 1855. This attack made Mexico’s alliance with the Lipans into a liability rather than an advantage. The massacre that resulted shows that the shift toward greater violence against Native peoples was, at its core, a transnational process.

Addressing Neurocognitive Disorders, Dementias, and Alzheimer’s Disease in Colonias of the Lower Rio Grande Valley: Establishing a Research Foundation Using Promotores

Several Texas communities along the Mexi­can border, including the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), are home to low-income Hispanic populations, many of whom live in underserved communities known as colonias. These areas have high incidences of neurocognitive disorders, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD); health care strate­gies that are culturally and linguistically ap­propriate for the area are needed. We aim to build capacity to reduce risk, facilitate treatment, and provide caregiver support for affected individuals. However, gaining trust of communities and presenting information about research studies in a way that is cul­turally appropriate is critical for engagement of underserved communities.This brief report examines our work with local community health workers (CHWs), promotores in Spanish, to establish contact with, engage, mobilize, and educate the Hispanic communities of the LGRV. Lessons from the succesful experience of training promotores in autism spectrum disorder in the LRGV highlight the importance of specifically addressing outreach in health fairs, clinic vists and referral as well as adequate selection, training, management, and support of the promotores as critical aspects. To initiate and sustain recruitment of older adults and care partners in research studies of AD and other dementias in the RGV, we have incorporated these aspects as components of the promotores training and engagement model, which has been developed and implemented by researchers and their colleagues at the School of Medi­cine at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.Ethn Dis. 2020;30(Suppl 2):775-780; doi:10.18865/ed.30.S2.775

History, status, and productivity of the Red-crowned Amazon Amazona viridigenalis in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas

Summary Newly established populations of endangered species can help mitigate declines elsewhere and can be a valuable genetic reservoir. When these populations are located within anthropogenic habitats, they may also help mitigate the potential biodiversity loss created by urbanization. The Red-crowned Amazon Amazona viridigenalis is an endangered species that has become naturalized in multiple urban areas throughout the United States and Mexico, and these populations may currently outnumber the population within their historical habitat. While these urban populations may hold the majority of this endangered species, very few studies have analyzed the status and trends of this species, or of threatened parrots in general, in urban areas. Our study focuses on an urban Red-crowned Amazon population in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas: the only parrot population currently recognized as native to the United States. To determine a timeline of Red-crowned Amazon arrival and growth in the LRGV, we reviewed published literature and online citizen science databases. To quantify current population levels and trends, we conducted 412 surveys at all known roost sites throughout the LRGV from January 2016 through April 2019. We also quantified the ratio of adult and juvenile parrots at roosts. Our data suggest the species has been present in the LRGV consistently since the 1970s and showed rapid growth from the mid-1990s through roughly 2016. Roost counts suggest there is currently a minimum LRGV population of about 680 and the population has been relatively stable over the last 3.5 years. Productivity averaged 19% over three breeding seasons, suggesting successful internal reproduction. This study provides important baseline information for the management and conservation of Red-crowned Amazons in the region and provides a valuable timeline on the beginnings and trends of this recently established urban population of Amazona parrot.